The present invention relates to a surgical instrument for use in performing emergency surgical airway or cricothyrotomies/tracheostomies, and more particularly to a combination tracheal hook and scalpel device which can be easily stored in a pocket or is otherwise readily accessible.
When the laryngeal opening of a patient becomes obstructed, blocking the flow of air to the lungs, an emergency surgical airway must be created to relieve the obstruction. In addition, when the laryngeal opening cannot be visualized (for normal intubation) because of the presence of blood or vomit, an emergency surgical airway is often necessary to save the patient. This procedure is commonly referred to as a cricothyrotomy or tracheostomy. Techniques for performing an emergency surgical cricothyrotomy/tracheostomy vary, but generally, the technique is a multi-step procedure that requires the use of a scalpel for creating an incision, a dilation instrument, and a tracheal hook for stabilizing the larynx. The group of surgical instruments used to create the surgical airway are often collectively included in a surgical airway kit or surgical airway instrument tray.
Although such kits are effective at providing the tools necessary to perform a cricothyrotomy/tracheostomy, currently available kits have several problems. One problem is that surgical airway kits are neither compact nor easily portable. For example, because the kits include multiple instruments, they can be bulky and are not easily carried by a doctor or other critical care practitioner on their person. Accordingly, when an emergency surgical airway must be provided, a kit must be located, a process that takes up valuable time, and under the circumstances, may be life threatening.
Another problem with currently available surgical kits is that effective use of a particular kit requires a high degree of familiarity with each individual surgical instrument and a high degree of familiarity with the cricothyrotomy/tracheostomy technique that the kit is designed for performing.
A number of devices have been developed in an attempt to combine several surgical instruments into one device which can be used to perform a cricothyrotomy. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,168, which teaches an apparatus including a pair of handles with hooked ends which can be mated with a scalpel. However, such devices are relatively large in size and are too cumbersome to be easily carried by a physician or other medical personnel.
Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for an improved method of performing a cricothyrotomy/tracheostomy in an emergency situation which provides a medical device for performing the procedure in a compact and/or portable manner, and which device is simple to use and operate.